Meet Our History Ph.D.'s

Program introduction

Admissions Information

The History Department is designing a new graduate program that is slated to roll out during the summer of 2018. Until then, we will not be accepting any new applications. If you have any questions or would like to receive updates about the new program, please contact Dr. Katherine A. Lynch.

The curriculum of the graduate program in history at Carnegie Mellon University is based on five thematic areas of faculty strength. These "clusters" include: African, African American and African Diaspora; Culture and Power; Women, Gender and the Family; Labor, Politics and Social Movements; and Technology, Environment, Science, and Health. These areas, which cut across national and temporal boundaries, form a common basis for graduate courses. Each semester, one or more courses from these five "clusters" is taught by members of the graduate faculty, on a rotating basis.

Although our curriculum is based in part on these cluster courses, students specialize in a national or regional field. In applying to the program, it is important that prospective students seek out and find a possible advisor or advisors from the field(s) in which they wish to specialize. Our current students are pursuing research on topics in United States, Latin American, Soviet, German, Chinese, and French history.

In addition to strong national/regional training, our program aims to provide students with broad exposure to transnational and comparative issues. Almost all our students serve as teaching assistants in a large Global Histories course.

Our program is small by design, and students receive a great deal of individual attention from faculty. The program strongly emphasizes research, and all students participate in a year-long research seminar.

The department’s Ph.D. program bestows a Master’s degree en route to the Ph.D. after the successful completion of two years of course work. It does not offer a separate, terminal Master’s degree or the possibility of online coursework.